Sri Lanka v England: third men’s cricket one-day international – live

Key events

Show key events only

Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature

1st over: England 4-0 (Rehan 4, Duckett 0) Notorious D. I. G. – David Ivon Gower – is on commentary and the game is under way. After hitting the field with a couple of shots off Asitha Fernando, Rehan Ahmed times a beautiful push through the covers for four. This ain’t no nighthawk.

Liam Dawson has been around for England’s finest white-ball moments in the past decade. He was an uncapped inclusion in the 2016 World T20 touring party, when Eoin Morgan’s fresh-faced team were denied right at the end by Carlos Brathwaite’s “remember the name” sixes. He was there as a squad member on that golden day at Lord’s in 2019 and a travelling reserve when England won the T20 World Cup in Australia three years later.

But, remarkably, the 35-year-old is still waiting to make his debut at a global tournament. It has been an international career spent on call, limited to 33 appearances in all formats, his left-arm spin and handy batting there to use in case of emergency.

Team news

Sri Lanka Nissanka, Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Dhananjaya, Asalanka (c), Liyanage, P Rathnayeke, Wellalage, Hasaranga, Vandersay, A Fernando.

England Rehan, Duckett, Root, Bethell, Brook (c), Buttler (wk), Jacks, S Curran, J Overton, Dawson, Rashid.

England win the toss and bat

England are unchanged; Sri Lanka have brought in the brilliant Wanindu Hasaranga for Pramod Madushan.

Preamble

Hello, good morning and welcome to the first series decider of 2026: Sri Lanka v England in Colombo, the third and final match of a largely meaningless and yet still engaging series. A mini-masterpiece from Joe Root on a dodgy wicket brought England level on Saturday; we’ll soon find out what kind of pitch we have today.

The match starts at 9am.